JFCS needs your help! We have several opportunities available this fall for you and your friends to participate.  

-75th Anniversary Exhibit Docent View Details

-75th Anniversary Ambassador  View Details

-Holiday Program Coordinator

-Tax Credit Phone-A-Thon with Friends of the Family

Click to Learn More about these positions and others!

Do you have a group of friends or colleagues that would like to help? Spread the Word!

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Rabbi Kravitz explains the meaning behind September’s holidays

Jews around the world will begin the sacred High Holy Days season this year Wednesday evening, September 8 and flowing into the following one or two days (depending upon family tradition). Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) is the biblical Day of the Sounding of the Shofar (the ancient animal horn trumpet). It starts a 10-day period of introspection and apology leading to the Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) which begins with the sacred music of the Kol Nidre service Friday evening, September 17, 2010.

On Yom Kippur day (September 18), Jews will observe a form of fasting that precludes eating and drinking (except for required medications, and exempting nursing mothers and children).

Unlike the raucous celebrations of New Year’s in December/January, the Jewish New Year and the High Holy Days season are an important family time for reflection and appreciation. Greetings of “Shana Tova” (Happy New Year) are appropriate. Before Yom Kippur, greetings for an “easy fast” and for a “Gemar Chatima Tova” (wishes to be sealed in the metaphorical Book of Life for another year) are most appropriate.

Five days after Yom Kippur, Jews will conclude the High Holy Day season joyously celebrating the week-long Sukkot holiday (harvest festival- which has also become the American Thanksgiving holiday).

To all who celebrate these Days of Awe and Joy, we send greetings for health, happiness and success. Though the sacred High Holy Days seem to come early this year, please know that they always begin on the first day of the seventh month of the biblical/Hebrew liturgical calendar.

Shana Tova,

Rabbi Robert L. Kravitz

JFCS Hospital Chaplain, Greater Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ, August 30, 2010 – Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) is pleased to announce that award-winning author Jana Bommersbach will be the speaker at JFCS’s 75^th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 30, 2010, at the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center in Downtown Phoenix. 

A highly respected investigative journalist, Bommersbach is the winner of numerous awards including The Distinguished Service Award (Arizona Press Club’s highest honor), Humanitarian Award and two Don Bolles Awards, Arizona’s most acclaimed reporting award.  Her debut book, The Trunk Murderess:  Winnie Ruth Judd, was one of five nonfiction books nationally to be nominated in 1993 for the prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Award.  Her 2008 book, Bones in the Desert, examines “the true story of a mother’s murder and a daughter’s search.” 

“Jana’s love of Arizona, her deep knowledge of Phoenix history, and her emphasis on the impact that women have historically had on society all make her our most exciting choice of speaker to present the history of JFCS.  We are honored to feature this outstanding writer and entertaining speaker as we celebrate our agency’s 75 years of compassionate service,” said Frank Jacobson, Vice President of Marketing and Development for JFCS.   

In 2010, Jewish Family & Children’s Service celebrates its 75^th year of providing care, help, and healing to those in need throughout Maricopa County. The anniversary celebration on October 30th is the premiere of the historical exhibit, JFCS: 75 Years of Helping and Healing, along with music, food, and the program featuring Ms. Bommersbach as speaker.  

“Not only is the exhibit about JFCS history, but the exhibit uses the context of Phoenix history and the history of social service in Arizona from the 1930’s. Our goal is that everyone who views our exhibit at the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center will walk away with pride, having learned something about the people of Arizona,” said Jessica Green, JFCS Marketing & Development Coordinator.

(photo from jana.bommersbach.com) 

More Facts About Jana 

Jana’s debut book, “The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd,” was nominated for the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award and won Arizona’s only literary prize.  

Her commentaries for public television won two national awards, while her reporting on commercial television won a Rocky Mountain Emmy. 

She has been honored with the Toastmasters International Communication and Leadership Award and by the Arizona Chapter of the ACLU for her leadership in bold, honest commentaries.  Besides, she gives great parties, is a gourmet cook, has never seen a hobby that doesn’t interest her. 

To Register for the 75th Anniversary Event, click here.
For more information, call 602-567-8327. 

 “In 2003, The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health identified the elimination of disparities in mental health care as a major goal. This webinar addressed the multiple factors that contribute to mental health disparities in the population of young adults with behavioral health concerns transitioning to adulthood. Several issues were discussed and positive actions to eliminate disparities were also addressed,” as stated on Georgetown’s National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health website.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS), with the direction of Ms. Whitfield and President & CEO, Michael R. Zent, Ph.D., launched the Youth In Transition to Adulthood program in Maricopa County in 2008 by successfully adopting the Dr. Hewitt B. “Rusty” Clark’s TIP model.  The Youth In Transition to Adulthood program serves ethnically/ racially/gender diverse 16 to 21 year olds as they transition from foster care to independent adulthood.

JFCS Youth participants during a 2009 trip to Washington, D.C.

The program started with two staff transition facilitators and five teens just two years ago and has grown to 20 transition facilitators and over 150 teens.  Additional staff is currently being hired to accommodate the growth.  The program provides each teen with a staff member who is on-call 24/7 to provide guidance and support in dealing with life’s problems. The majority of participants in this program live in group homes.

When these teens turn 18, they often have no idea what to do when they exit the system on their birthday. JFCS’ Youth in Transition to Adulthood helps participants learn skills that the rest of us take for granted, like how to buy groceries, find an apartment or enroll in college.  

Listed below are the four presenters that were selected for this prestigious national webinar:
Peter Gamache, Ph.D. candidate, MBA, MLA, MPH, RN
Research and Evaluation Specialist
Division of Policy and Services Research and Evaluations
Department of Child and Family Studies, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Mary Jo Whitfield, M.S.W.
Vice President of Behavioral Health
Jewish Family & Children’s Service
Phoenix, Arizona
Powerpoint Serving Diverse Young Adults of Transition Age at the Practice Level

Ann Capoccia, M.S.W.
Coordinator of Interagency Activities
Child/Adolescent Division
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Cultural and Linguistic Competence Action Plan FY’08-09

Marvin Alexander, L.C.S.W.
Board Member,
Youth M.O.V.E. Member
SAMHSA Advisory Council

For more information on how you can support Jewish Family & Children’s Service and the Youth In Transition to Adulthood program, please call 602-279-7655.

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The following information was provided by Children’s Action Alliance.

WHAT HAPPENS IF 1¢ SALES TAX DOES NOT PASS?

Legislation passed during the 2010 7th special session included conditional budget cuts that will occur if the May 18, 2010 1¢ sales tax increase does not pass. For some agencies, specific cuts are identified in legislation; in other cases, a single lump sum reduction is specified.

The Downloadable PDF below includes information on the these specific cuts where known, as well as likely cuts based on information agencies submitted in October 2009 indicating how they would take a 15% budget cut.

What if the Sales Tax Fails?

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On May 4th, Friends of the Family, a volunteer group for JFCS, had a fun and informative event at the beautiful home of Michael Kornreich in Paradise Valley.  Friends of the Family chose to highlight Shelter Without Walls, one of JFCS Child & Family Solutions programs, founded in 1998 by Aileen Osofsky and Lenore Schupak.   Linda Scott, Vice President of JFCS Child & Family Solutions, spoke eloquently about Shelter Without Walls, how the program operates, and how the program transforms the lives of victims of domestic violence.  Linda’s words were meaningful and gave us a real sense of how the program makes a difference in the lives of those who’ve suffered an abusive relationship.  

After learning more about Shelter Without Walls,  Susan Dey, a local fashion expert who works at Harari in Kierland, talked to us about style and fashion! Susan taught us how to mix and match the clothes in our closets and add accessories to modernize our individual looks!  All of us present at the event had cleaned out our closets and brought clothes for Susan to use as examples of how to freshen up our style!  We practiced putting great looks together, combining patterns, colors and textures as Susan showed us.  We all had a great time, followed by a delicious lunch from Levi Catering! 

All the clothing given at the event was donated to Shelter Without Walls for the women who sometimes have to leave their homes with very little.  These women need clothes to go to job interviews so they begin a road to self-sufficiency.  The owners of Kiss Me Kate, another local boutique, and Harari, each donated $100 gift certificates which were raffled off at the event.  Femme de Paris, a women’s boutique in the Borgata, has also been, and continues to be, extremely generous with their clothing donations to Shelter Without Walls.  

For those of you who couldn’t attend wonderful event, please consider taking your gently used men’s and women’s clothing and accessories to My Sister’s Closet (any location) and place them on the Jewish Family & Children’s Service account.  By giving to the JFCS account at My Sister’s Closet, we can raise much needed dollars to continue to run the programs that transform people’s lives.  You can now also take your gently-used house wares to My Sister’s Attic for the same purpose.  What an easy way to give, and it won’t cost you a dime!

Special thanks to Linda Scott; Carrol Gottfried, JFCS Director of Development; Susan Dey from Harari; and Amy Kahn and Lynn Kahn, volunteers who helped to make this event a huge success!

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On February 17^th, a group of over 40 women spent several hours together discussing and learning about the way anxiety can manifest itself in children.  As a parent of several of my own, it was fascinating to see how anxiety has touched the lives of many of my friends and presents challenges to so many families at different stages in life.

The speakers, Dr. Jennifer O’Connor of Remuda Ranch, and Dr. Holly Asher Drinen, a psychologist in private practice, presented practical advice and guidance in the treatment and understanding of anxiety.

Jennifer focused on understanding the symptoms of anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children, with “scrupulosity” of significant concern to those in the religious community.  If an individual has OCD tendencies, devout religious observance can highlight the obsessions and compulsions.  Dr. O’Connor encourages a partnered approach to treatment to include rabbinic guidance working with a therapist for successful minimization of symptoms.   Additionally, she encouraged parents to focus on teaching distress tolerance to their children, helping a child tolerate uncomfortable emotions or anxieties.

Holly presented a four-step plan to reduce anxiety in the school environment where anxiety symptoms can classically present. Her clever acronym of STIC (Show That I Can) encourages children to gradually face fears and calm the physical symptoms of anxiety.  Through practice and a supportive environment, children can usually work through many fears and anxiety provoking situations.  Dr. Drinen helped us understand how teachers can develop anxiety reducing techniques and environments to encourage behavior modification and a successful learning experience.

Parents are an integral part of helping children face their fears and anxieties to create healthy, productive children which leads to healthy adults.  Both professionals encouraged parents to acknowledge and address the fears rather than avoidance of situations where the fear can present.  Parents should be careful not to “shelter” the child from her emotion as the family could end up avoiding any situation which could provoke a negative response from the anxious child, and the child will not learn how to tolerate the emotional discomfort. However, sometimes, parental support and involvement is not enough and families need to seek professional help and medication to help a child with anxiety.

Training children in “distress tolerance” will encourage a healthier, more successful child! 

For more information on this or other mental health and wellness classes, please email dvora.entin@jfcsarizona.com

Youth from the JFCS Youth in Transition program at the Capital Building, 12/03/09.

A note from Mary Schraven, JFCS System of Care Director:

(Mary Schraven manages the Youth in Transition programs, which assist teenagers that are transitioning out of foster care and CPS custody into healthy, independant adult lives. These JFCS programs help teenagers with positive life skills, coping skills, counseling, job training, GED education, preparation for college, and much more.)

**December 3, 2009**

“I  wanted to take a moment to update you all on the trip that I am on with some of our JFCS teens.  I am so proud to be here in Washington D.C. representing Jewish Family & Children’s Service and our state of Arizona.  Even with the challenges that we face, I am proud to be from Arizona.  I spent the day yesterday with some amazing people and some of the greatest minds at Georgetown University.  I learned so much that I cannot wait to share!

The kids arrived last night, and we took them to Union Station for dinner.  This morning, at 11:00am, our young adults had a tour of the Capital.   They were wonderful, gracious and in awe.  I spent the day working with lobbyists and legislative aides to be sure that they know who we are, what we do, and how they can help us continue to help empower people.  We are now getting ready to take them to have a nice dinner in the city, and then to the White House to have a private tour of the West Wing!

As I sit here and think about the evening ahead of us, I am overcome with joy that these young men and women, who have faced seemingly  insurmountable odds are going to walk the very halls where some of the greatest men and women in our history have stood.  I believe with all my heart that because of what we do each and every day at JFCS with love and support that one of  “our” children could one day sit behind the desk that we will see tonight!  Each one of our staff in someway has made this possible for these youth.  I wanted to say thank you for caring for these kids and cheering  them on when they succeed!   Most importantly, thank you for continuing to care for them when they do not have anyone else to care about them.  Tonight, we will represent JFCS and all of the staff with grace and pride!”

(The trip to Washington, D.C. with Mary Shraven and JFCS youths, was sponsored in part by Magellan Health Services, Inc.)